Cook the most delicious Kofta kebabs quickly and easily in your air fryer. This traditional Egyptian Kofta recipe is so rich and flavorful, and cooking it in the air fryer keeps the beef wonderfully juicy. Treat your tastebuds and cook up a batch of these immediately!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my privacy policy here.
If you love trying new foods and discovering new flavors, you have to try these Air fryer Kofta Al-Hati (كفته الحاتي). This authentic Egyptian recipe is so easy to make at home, and I promise they will be on repeat!
Made with seasoned ground beef and basted with a savory sweet sauce, every bite is a taste explosion. Cooking them in the air fryer is not only quicker, but it really helps to enhance all of those flavors and keeps the meat wonderfully juicy.
Perfect to serve as part of an easy weeknight dinner. As soon as we finished eating these, my husband immediately asked when we were making more! High praise indeed!
Be sure to try my Air Fryer Roasted Jalapenos and Air Fryer Stuffed Zucchini Boats too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Quick and easy: Simple to make with just a few simple ingredients, these air fryer koftas are perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
- Family friendly: My 16 month old loved these as much as we did!
- Freezer friendly: These koftas freeze beautifully and reheat quickly.
- Dietary info: This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and low carb.
Ingredients
For the koftas
- Ground beef: Use a lean beef that is 20% fat. Ground chuck is perfect. It has a lot of flavor and will keep the meat juicy, but won't end up greasy.
- Parsley: Adds a lovely fresh and herby flavor.
- Onion: Finely diced onion is key in these traditional Egyptian Koftas and sets them apart from other Middle Eastern recipes.
- Cornflour: To help bind the meat together so that koftas don't break.
- Baking powder: Helps to tenderize and keep the beef juicy. It also aids the browning process.
- Salt and black pepper
- Cinnamon
- 7 spice: A mix of black pepper, cumin, paprika, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom. A Middle Eastern spice blend.
For the glaze
- Primavera sauce: For a tangy and savory taste.
- Honey: Just a touch of honey really creates something amazing! It's not overpowering and balances out wonderfully.
- Salt and black pepper
How to make koftas in the air fryer
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- With your hands, mix together the ingredients to make the kofta meat (photo 1).
- Mix together the ingredients for the glaze (photo 2).
- Form the Koftas using a skewer (photo 3).
- Place in a parchment lined air fryer basket (photo 4).
- Cook and glaze in the air fryer til deep brown and cooked through (photo 5).
- Serve and enjoy (photo 6).
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally, Kofta Al-Hati is served on a bed of chopped parsley and accompanied with tahini sauce.
Great served up in a wrap or pita with salads and sauces, or simply in a hot dog bun with some ketchup! They are a great addition to dinner time with some rice, potatoes, veggies or salad. Try them along with some of these delicious recipes:
Recipe Variations
Traditionally, these Kebabs are made with beef or lamb. If you can get ground lamb easily, I highly suggest making them with that!
7 spice isn't always widely available. If you can't find it, they will still be delicious without it.
Make Ahead, Freezing and Reheating
These air fryer Koftas can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and be kept, covered in the fridge, until ready to cook. Leftovers (if you are lucky enough to have any!) will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be reheated in the air fryer at 260F / 180c for a couple of minutes.
Freezing guidelines
You can freeze them before air frying them and they will be good for up to 4 months. Take them out of the freezer for 30 minutes and then cook them as per the recipe.
Cooked koftas can be frozen for up to 6 months. For best results, reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until fully heated through.
If freezing, be sure to wrap the koftas well to prevent freezer burn.
Frequently Asked Questions
This popular street food is traditionally cooked over a charcoal grill to give them a great smoky flavor.
The good news, is that you can replicate that flavor of smokiness with this awesome tip! Once you have plated the koftas, light a piece of charcoal and place it in a foil bowl. Place the bowl on the plate, pour in a tiny bit of oil to create smoke, then wrap the plate tightly with foil to trap the smoke. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and the flavor from the charcoal will penetrate the meat. If you really want to impress, this is the way to do it!
The fat in the beef will drip out when the koftas are cooked. If you line the air fryer basket with parchment paper, then there will be virtually no clean up needed. You can make them without doing this if you prefer.
When making koftas, it's really important to form them around a skewer, either a round or flat one, so that they have a hole through the middle. This helps them to cook evenly and the circulating hot air will give them a fluffier texture.
These authentic Egyptian Kofta Al-Hati come out so wonderfully in the air fryer, they really are a joy to make and eat! The bold flavors from the spices are sublime and the meat is wonderfully juicy and full of texture. I urge you all to give these a try!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Mix the beef and seasonings together really well with your hands. Knead it like dough for a couple of minutes to get the correct texture and make sure that the ingredients are well distributed.
- The onion needs to be chopped very finely, and a vegetable chopper is ideal for this.
- If you find that the meat mixture is too wet and is falling away from the skewer when you form it, mix in a teaspoon of breadcrumbs. It won't alter the flavor, but will absorb any excess moisture.
- Make sure that the koftas are of a similar thickness so that they cook evenly. It's ok if they are different lengths.
- You will need to turn the koftas in the air fryer half way through cooking. Do this gently with a fork as they can be quite delicate at this stage.
- Cook the koftas in a single layer in the air fryer, don't overlap them. You may need to cook them in two batches if you have a smaller model.
Recipe Created by Aliaa Aly
Aliaa was born and raised in Cairo where she studied medicine and worked as a professor of audiology in Cairo university.
When she left her professional life to join her husband who was working in Europe, she found her love for cooking and baking, searching for, and recreating the food she grew up with.
Aliaa's mother was her inspiration for everything delicious and her cooking was the deepest, purest act of love. She loves sharing her traditional recipes and show stopping bakes with her friends whenever she gets a chance!
Aliaa lives in Quebec with her husband and 3 children.
Air Fryer Koftas
Equipment
- Skewer (wooden or metal)
Ingredients
For the koftas
- 16 ounces ground beef (20% fat) (454g)
- 1 large onion
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon 7 spice
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
For the glaze
- liquid from the diced onion
- 2 tablespoons primavera pasta sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- pinch salt and pepper
To serve
- 1 bunch parsley (finely chopped)
- tahini sauce
Instructions
Make the kofta mix
- Place the beef in a large mixing bowl.
- Dice the onion very finely, either by hand or using a vegetable chopper. Place the chopped onion in a piece of muslin or thin towel and squeeze out any excess water into a small bowl and place to one side.
- Add the onion to the beef, and place in the rest of the ingredients for the koftas.
- Mix everything together very well with your hands. Knead the mixture together as if you were making bread. The mixture should be quite stiff.
Make the glaze
- In the bowl that you squeezed the moisture from the onion, add in the rest of the glaze ingredients and mix together.
Form the koftas
- Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper.
- Use your hands to rub a little of the glaze on the skewer.
- Take some of the meat and roll into a ball in your hands. Larger than a golf ball, but smaller than a tennis ball.
- Use your hands to wrap the meat around the skewer into a sausage shape. Smooth the outsides and make sure it is a solid shape.
- Rub a little more of the glaze over the surface of the kofta and then place in the air fryer basket.
- Repeat this process until you have used up all of the meat.
Air fry the koftas
- Air fry the koftas at 400F / 200c for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, brush the glaze over the top of the koftas.
- Air fry at 400F / 200c for 5 minutes.
- Carefully turn the Koftas over in the air fryer. Brush more glaze on top.
- Air fry at 400F / 200c for 5 minutes.
- Brush more glaze on top.
- Air fry at 400F / 200c for 3 minutes.
- Serve on a bed of chopped parsley with tahini for dipping.
Notes
-
- Mix the beef and seasonings together really well with your hands. Knead it like dough for a couple of minutes to get the correct texture and make sure that the ingredients are well distributed.
-
- The onion needs to be chopped very finely, and a vegetable chopper is ideal for this.
-
- If you find that the meat mixture is too wet and is falling away from the skewer when you form it, mix in a teaspoon of breadcrumbs. It won't alter the flavor, but will absorb any excess moisture.
-
- Make sure that the koftas are of a similar thickness so that they cook evenly. It's ok if they are different lengths.
-
- You will need to turn the koftas in the air fryer half way through cooking. Do this gently with a fork as they can be quite delicate at this stage.
-
- Cook the koftas in a single layer in the air fryer, don't overlap them. You may need to cook them in two batches if you have a smaller model.
Leave a Reply